Involvement of GRP78 in the Resistance of Ovarian Carcinoma Cells to Paclitaxel

Background: Glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is a type of molecular chaperone. It is a possible candidateprotein that contributes to development of drug resistance. We first examined the involvement of GRP78 inchemotherapy-resistance in human ovarian cancer cell. Materials and Methods: The expression of GRP78mRNA and protein were examined by RT-PCR and western blotting, respectively, in human ovarian cancer cellsline (HO-8910). Sensitivity of HO-8910 to paclitaxel was determined with methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT).Suppression of GRP78 expression was performed using specific small-interfering RNA (siRNA) in HO-8910cells, and cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 15.0statistical package. Results: HO-8910 cells, with high basal levels of GRP78, exhibited low sensitivity to paclitaxel.The mRNA and protein levels of GRP78 were dramatically decreased at 24h, 48h and 72h after transfection andthe sensitivity to paclitaxel was increased when the GRP78 gene was disturbed by specific siRNA transfection.Conclusions: The results suggested that high GRP78 expression might be one of the molecular mechanismscausing resistance to paclitaxel, and therefore siRNA of GRP78 may be useful in tumor-specific gene therapyfor ovarian cancer.     

The role of RhoC in the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

In this study, we examined the effects of RhoC expression on the growth and apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HCCs) in vitro in order to gain more understanding of its potential as a therapeutic target gene. We knocked down the endogenous expression levels of RhoC in human HCCs, BEL-7402, using siRNA and ectopically expressed RhoC in untransformed hepatocytes, HL7702. Stable cell lines were established, and cell growth was examined by MTT and colony formation assays, cell proliferation examined by silver nitrate staining of AgNORs, and cell cycle distribution examined by flow cytometry. RT-PCR analysis was performed to determine the mRNA expression levels of RhoC and cell cycle-related genes. Finally, the effect of RhoC expression on apoptosis was also examined by flow cytometry, agarose gel electrophoresis of fragmented DNA, Wright staining, and RT-PCR analysis for genes regulating apoptosis. Compared to the parental and control siRNA (siCtrl)-transfected BEL-7402 cells, the siRhoC-transfected cells exhibited significantly reduced cell growth, cell proliferation, percentage of cells in the S-G2/M phase, and expression of Cyclin D1, CDK4, and Bcl2. Knockdown of RhoC expression in BEL-7402 cells also significantly increased the percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase, cellular apoptosis, and expression of p21, p16, and Bax. Furthermore, ectopic expression of RhoC in HL7702 cells led to a significant increase in cell growth compared to parental or siCtrl-transfected cells. These data suggest that RhoC is a key regulator of cell growth and apoptosis in HCC cells, making it a potential target for gene therapy.     

Stathmin siRNA表达载体的构建及对LM8细胞生物学行为的影响

背景与目的:Stathmin在多种恶性肿瘤细胞中都有高水平表达,通过抑制其表达可以干扰恶性肿瘤细胞的分裂,影响肿瘤细胞的增殖与凋亡。本研究构建并观察stathmin基因RNA干扰表达载体转染LM8细胞系后对stathmin表达及细胞生物学行为的影响。方法:构建靶向stathmin干扰质粒pGenesil-1-Stathmin和通用对照质粒pGenesil-1-HK,以脂质体法将2个重组质粒分别转染骨肉瘤LM8细胞系。实时荧光定量PCR和Western印迹技术检测各组LM8细胞系stathmin在mRNA和蛋白水平的表达,MTT(噻唑蓝)法比色分析检测细胞体外生长抑制率,软琼脂集落形成实验观察单个细胞体外增殖活力,细胞HE染色观察细胞形态学的变化,Hoechst染色观察细胞凋亡特征并计算凋亡率,流式细胞术定量分析细胞周期变化,C3H小鼠移植瘤实验显示肿瘤细胞成瘤能力。结果:DNA测序证实成功构建pGenesil-1-Stathmin重组质粒。转染LM8细胞后,明显抑制stathmin基因表达;细胞体外生长抑制率显著增加;单个细胞体外增殖活力显著下降;细胞HE染色部分细胞呈典型的凋亡细胞形态学改变;Hoechst染色显示细胞凋亡特征,细胞凋亡率明显高于对照组;流式细胞术检测显示细胞周期阻滞于G2/M期,明显高于对照组;C3H小鼠移植瘤实验显示特异转染组致瘤率下降,肿瘤生长减缓。结论:成功构建的靶向干扰质粒pGenesil-1-Stathmin能有效抑制stathmin基因在骨肉瘤LM8细胞的表达并影响其相关生物学行为,其抑制骨肉瘤细胞的增殖与生长,为stathmin基因应用于骨肉瘤的基因治疗研究奠定了理论基础。     

Synergistic inhibition of autophagy and neddylation pathways as a novel therapeutic approach for targeting liver cancer

Liver cancer is the second-most frequent cause of cancer death in the world and is highly treatment resistant. We reported previously that inhibition of neddylation pathway with specific NAE inhibitor MLN4924, suppressed the malignant phenotypes of liver cancer. However, during the process, MLN4924 induces pro-survival autophagy as a mechanism of drug resistance. Here, we report that blockage of autophagy with clinically-available autophagy inhibitors (e.g. chloroquine) significantly enhanced the efficacy of MLN4924 on liver cancer cells by triggering apoptosis. Mechanistically, chloroquine enhanced MLN4924-induced up-regulation of pro-apoptotic proteins (e.g. NOXA) and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins. Importantly, the down-regulation of NOXA expression via siRNA silencing substantially attenuated apoptosis of liver cancer cells. Further mechanistic studies revealed that blockage of autophagy augmented MLN4924-induced DNA damage and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The elimination of DNA damage or blockage of ROS production significantly reduced the expression of NOXA, and thereby attenuated apoptosis and reduced growth inhibition of liver cancer cells. Moreover, blockage of autophagy enhanced the efficacy of MLN4924 in an orthotopic model of human liver cancer, with induction of NOXA and apoptosis in tumor tissues. These findings provide important preclinical evidence for clinical investigation of synergistic inhibition of neddylation and autophagy in liver cancer.     

Suppression of Glypican 3 Inhibits Growth of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells through Up-Regulation of TGF-��2

Glypican 3 (GPC3) is a valuable diagnostic marker and a potential therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To evaluate the efficacy of targeting GPC3 at the translational level, we used RNA interference to examine the biologic and molecular effects of GPC3 suppression in HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Transfection of Huh7 and HepG2 cells with GPC3-specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibited cell proliferation (P < .001) together with cell cycle arrest at the G₁ phase, down-regulation of antiapoptotic protein (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1), and replicative senescence. Gene expression analysis revealed that GPC3 suppression significantly correlated with transforming growth factor beta receptor (TGFBR) pathway (P = 4.57e-5) and upregulated TGF-β2 at both RNA and protein levels. The effects of GPC3 suppression by siRNA can be recapitulated by addition of human recombinant TGF-β2 to HCC cells in culture, suggesting the possible involvement of TGF-β2 in growth inhibition of HCC cells. Cotransfection of siRNA-GPC3 with siRNA-TGF-β2 partially attenuated the effects of GPC3 suppression on cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and replicative senescence, confirming the involvement of TGF-β2 in siRNA-GPC3-mediated growth suppression. In vivo, GPC3 suppression significantly inhibited the growth of orthotopic xenografts of Huh7 and HepG2 cells (P < .05), accompanied by increased TGF-β2 expression, reduced cell proliferation (observed by proliferating cell nuclear antigen staining), and enhanced apoptosis (by TUNEL staining). In conclusion, molecular targeting of GPC3 at the translational level offers an effective option for the clinical management of GPC3-positive HCC patients.     

A novel and effective hepatocyte growth factor kringle 1 domain and p53 cocktail viral gene therapy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, yet effective therapeutic options for advanced HCC are limited. Kringle 1 domain of HGF (HGFK1) has been demonstrated as a potent anti-tumor molecule and p53 is a well established tumor suppressor. Recently we developed AAV transducing HGFK1 (AAV-HGFK1) as a gene therapy for HCC. Here we investigated the possibility of enhancing the effect of AAV-HGFK1 by combining it with Adv transducing p53 (Adv-p53). In vitro expression experiments suggested a small amount of Adv-p53 could increase the expression of AAV transgenes. AAV-HGFK1+Adv-p53 cocktail strongly inhibited the proliferation of microvascular endothelial cell (MEC) and two HCC cell lines, Hepa1-6 and McA-RH7777. In two orthotopic mice and rat HCC models the cocktail gene therapy also significantly reduced the tumor burdens and prolonged the survival time by inhibiting tumor angiogenesis and inducing tumor cell death. Significantly, tumor metastasis was completely prevented. AAV-HGFK1+Adv-p53 viral cocktail may be a promising cancer therapy for the treatment of HCC.     

Functional interaction between nitric oxide-induced iron homeostasis and heme oxygenase-1 in immortalized and malignant oral keratinocytes

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is involved in a variety of regulatory and protective cellular mechanisms as a stress-responsive protein. Whether HO-1 plays a protective role against NO-induced cytotoxicity in oral cancer cells has not yet been established. We used sodium nitroprusside (SNP) as a source of exogenous NO in studies of NO-induced cytotoxicity in immortalized (IHOK) and malignant oral keratinocytes (HN12). The roles of the caspase pathway, of regulatory proteins of iron metabolism (iron regulatory protein (IRP)1, IRP2, transferrin receptor (TfR), and ferritin), and of HO-1 in protection against NO-induced cytotoxicity were assessed. The SNP-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis of IHOK and HN12 cells was reduced by addition of ferric citrate (FC). At low concentrations (< 1 mM), SNP up-regulated cellular iron metabolism by increasing expression of IRP1, IRP2, and TfR, whereas at high concentrations (> 2 mM), SNP down-regulated expression of these proteins. A consistent correlation between decreased levels of IRP1, IRP2, and TfR and increased NO-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis was observed. Addition of FC inhibited the NO-induced decrease in IRP1, IRP2, and TfR levels. Moreover, SNP increased the expression of HO-1 and ferritin in IHOK and HN12 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. NO-induced cytotoxicity was also inhibited by hemin (an HO-1 agonist) and was enhanced by zinc protoporphyrin IX (an HO-1 inhibitor). Based on these results, we conclude that HO-1 plays a major role in mediating cytoprotection and iron homeostasis against NO toxicity in immortalized and malignant oral keratinocytes.     

Silencing of H-ras gene expression by retrovirus-mediated siRNA decreases transformation efficiency and tumorgrowth in a model of human ovarian cancer

To examine the role of H-ras in the development of human ovarian cancer, we used small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) to silence its expression in human ovarian cancer cell lines and assessed the effects of its silencing on proliferation, apoptosis, and tumorgrowth. First, we developed a retrovirus-based delivery system that allowed long-term stable expression of the desired siRNA. Retrovirus-mediated expression of siRNA against green fluorescence protein (GFP) reduced its expression more than 90% in four cancer cell lines. We then constructed three retroviruses that expressed siRNAs targeting the H-rasV(12) mutation (H1/siRNA) or either of two wild-type sequences of the H-ras gene (H2/siRNA and H3/siRNA) and used these retroviruses to infect T80H and SKOV-3 cells. In T80H cells (a genetically transformed human ovarian surface epithelial cell line whose tumorigenicity depends on H-rasV(12) expression), infection with the H1/siRNA and H2/siRNA, but not with H3/siRNA, decreased T80H proliferation, increased G(0)/G(1) arrest and apoptosis, blocked transformation in vitro, and suppressed tumor growth in nude mice. In SKOV-3 cells (a human ovarian cancer cell line that contains high levels of wild-type H-ras protein but no H-rasV(12) mutation), introduction of the H2/siRNA construct, but not H1/siRNA or H3/siRNA, produced similar effects, demonstrating that the suppression of tumorgrowth by siRNA was sequence-specific. We conclude that H-ras is involved in maintenance of tumorgrowth of human ovarian cancer, and that retrovirus-mediated siRNA expression against H-ras expression is a powerful tool to dissect ras-signaling pathways and may be used therapeutically against ovarian cancer.     

下调UHRF1的表达在抑制肝癌进展中的作用

目的 探讨UHRF1的异常表达在肝癌（hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC）进展中的作用机制。方法 采用RT-PCR和Western blot法检测UHRF1在20例HCC标本中的mRNA和蛋白表达水平, Western blot法检测不同转移潜能的肝癌细胞HepG2、SMMC7721、MHCC97L和HCCLM3中的UHRF1 的表达水平;siRNA技术干扰HCCLM3细胞中UHRF1表达后,MTT法检测细胞增殖,Western blot 法检测BAX和BCL-2表达水平的改变,流式细胞术检测HCCLM3细胞周期和细胞凋亡的变化。结 果 UHRF1在肺癌组织中的表达水平较癌旁组织显著上调（P<0.05）,随着肝癌细胞转移潜能升高而UHRF1表达水平也依次升高（P<0.01）;siRNA技术干扰HCCLM3细胞中UHRF1表达后,HCCLM3细胞生长速度明显下降（P＜0.05）,HCCLM3细胞的促凋亡蛋白BAX表达水平明显上升,而抑凋亡蛋白BCL-2表达水平明显下降;UHRF1-siRNA干扰HCCLM3细胞48 h时,细胞周期分布无明显影响（P＞0.05）;但UHRF1表达下调有促凋亡作用,与对照组相比,干扰组的细胞凋亡率显著升高,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。结论 UHRF1基因在肝癌组织中表达上调,下调UHRF1的表达能够抑制肝癌进展,可能是通过诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡来实现的。     

miR-409-3p inhibits HT1080 cell proliferation, vascularization and metastasis by targeting angiogenin

Induction of cell death and inhibition of cell growth are the main targets of cancer therapy. Here we evaluated the role of autophagy on chemoresistance of human hepatocarcinoma (HCC) cell lines, focusing on its crosstalk with cell apoptosis and proliferation. In this study, a chemotherapeutic agent (cisplatin or 5FU) induced the formation of autophagosomes in three human HCC cell lines and upregulated the expression of autophagy protein LC3-II. Inhibition of autophagy by 3-methyladenine or si-beclin 1 increased chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in HCC cells. Meanwhile, increased damage of the mitochondrial membrane potential was also observed in HCC cells when autophagy was inhibited. Furthermore, inhibition of autophagy reduced clone formation and impaired cell growth of HCC cells when treated with chemotherapy. Co-administration of an autophagy inhibitor (chloroquine) and chemotherapy significantly inhibited tumor growth in a mouse xenograft tumor model, with greater extent of apoptosis and impaired proliferation of tumor cells. This study suggests that autophagy is a potential novel target to improve therapy efficiency of conventional chemotherapeutics towards HCC.     

N-Myc down-regulated gene 1 mediates proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

The over-expression of N-myc down-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was previously reported to correlate with vascular invasion and patient survival. Our current study aims to elucidate its functions in HCC. We found that it lacked the tumorigenic ability to promote soft agar colony formation or serum-independent growth of NIH3T3 cells. We used specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) oligos to suppress the expression of NDRG1 in human HCC (Hep3B and HepG2) cell lines, and found that this significantly reduced cell proliferation and invasion, and induced apoptosis. Additionally, NDRG1-specific siRNA inhibited the HepG2 xenograft growth in nude mice. These results are consistent with our earlier clinical observations that NDRG1 is associated with more aggressive tumor behavior, and suggest that NDRG1 may be a potential therapeutic target for HCC.     

亚毒性浓度顺铂联合紫花牡荆素体外诱导人卵巢癌细胞调亡(英文)

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of Casticin (CAS) combination with Cisplatin (DDP) in sub-toxic concentration on apoptosis of human ovarian cancer HO-8910 cells in vitro and unravel the associated mechanisms. Methods: Human ovarian cancer HO-8910 cells were cultured in vitro. The inhibitory effect of CAS combination with DDP in sub-toxic concentration on viability of human ovarian cancer HO-8910 cells was evaluated by the MTT assay. Morphological changes of cell apoptosis were detected by Hoechst 33258 staining assay. Cell apoptosis rate was analyzed by flow cytometry. The protein expression level was analyzed by Western blot. Results: CAS in sub-toxic concentration and DDP in sub-toxic concentration could slightly inhibit Human ovarian cancer HO-8910 cells, but CAS combination with DDP in sub-toxic concentration significantly inhibited the growth of HO-8910 cells, and growth inhibition rate was increased drastically compared with the control group (P﹤0.01), and the inhibiting effect showed synergistic action. Human ovarian cancer HO-8910 cells showed the typical morphological changes of apoptosis and apoptosis rate markedly increased when they were exposed to CAS combination with DDP in sub-toxic concentration for 48 h. Western blot showed that the expression of bcl-2 protein was down-regulated and protein level of caspase-3 was activated by CAS combination with DDP in sub-toxic concentration. Conclusion: CAS combination with DDP in sub-toxic concentration could inhibit the cells growth and lead to cell apoptosis in human ovarian cancer HO-8910 cells. And the down-regulation of bcl-2 protein expression and activation of caspase-3 protein might contribute to CAS combination with DDP in sub-toxic concentration in human cancer HO-8910 cells.     

Inhibition of heme oxygenase-1 increases responsiveness of pancreatic cancer cells to anticancer treatment.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is believed to represent a key enzyme for the protection of cells against "stress." Its overexpression in different types of human cancers supports the notion that HO-1 provides a growth advantage and contributes to cellular resistance against chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Given the poor survival rates of patients with pancreatic cancer due to its aggressive growth behavior and its exceptional resistance to all known forms of anticancer treatment, we have investigated the expression of HO-1 in human pancreatic cancer cells growth behavior and prognosis. Expression of HO-1 was analyzed in human pancreatic cancer samples in comparison with normal pancreas by quantitative PCR, Western blot, and confocal microscopy. The influence of radiotherapy and chemotherapy on HO-1 expression in pancreatic cancer cell lines was evaluated. Furthermore, HO-1 expression was specifically suppressed by small interfering RNA transfection and subsequently the alterations of growth behavior and resistance to anticancer treatment were tested. Human pancreatic cancer showed a 6-fold and 3.5-fold HO-1 up-regulation in comparison to normal pancreas based on mRNA and protein level, respectively (P < 0.05). Cancer tissues revealed marked HO-1 immunoreactivity in tumor cells and in tumor associated immunocytes. Treatment of the pancreatic cancer cell lines with gemcitabine or radiation strongly induced HO-1 expression. Targeted knockdown of HO-1 expression led to pronounced growth inhibition of the pancreatic cancer cells and made tumor cells significantly more sensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Therefore, specific inhibition of HO-1 expression may be a new option in pancreatic cancer therapy and may be used as sensitizer to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.     

Upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 and p21 confers resistance to apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells

Both heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and p21(WAF1/Cip1) (p21) are involved in the pathogenesis of human cancer and their functions are closely associated with apoptosis. However, how these two molecules regulate apoptosis in human gastric cancer is unknown. In this study, we studied how HO-1 and p21 were regulated in two gastric cancer cell lines, MKN-45 with wild p53 and MKN-28 with mutant p53. The cells were treated with hemin and cadmium to induce HO-1. The result showed that HO-1 protein was significantly induced by hemin and cadmium in both cells tested. Following the HO-1 expression, p21 level was also markedly induced. The cells with increased HO-1 and p21 showed obviously resistantance to apoptotic stimuli. The levels of HO-1 and p21 induced were significantly inhibited by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) inhibitor (SB203580) and extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor (PD098059). Parallel to decreased HO-1 and p21 expression, the kinase inhibitors also significantly attenuated the resistance of the cells to apoptosis. The elevated HO-1 and p21 was further found to be associated with increase activity of the nuclear NF-kappaB and the inhibition of NF-kappaB led to the block of their induction. The elevated HO-1 and p21 were also demonstrated to be related to increased cellular inhibitor of caspase inbitory protein-2 (c-IAP2) and decreased caspapse-3 activity. It was noted that the above changes observed were not different between MKN-45 and MKN-28 cells, suggesting the functions of HO-1 and p21 were irrespective of the status of p53. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the resistance to apoptosis in gastric cancer cells with elevated HO-1 and p21 is independent of p53 status in a p38 MAPK- and ERK-mediated pathway with elevated c-IAP2 and decreased caspase-3 activity and that this pathway is sensitive to the inhibition of NF-kappaB.     

Heme oxygenase-1: a molecular brake on hepatocellular carcinoma cell migration

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a fatal disease with great public health impact worldwide. Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 has recently been reported as an important player in tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. However, the role of HO-1 in liver cancer metastasis is unclear. In this study, we explored genetic differences and downstream signal transduction pathways of HO-1 in liver cancer cell lines. HO-1 wild-type and mutant cell lines were generated from human liver cancer cell line HepG2. The overexpression of wild-type HO-1 decreased the migration of HepG2 cells. In contrast, the overexpression of mutant HO-1G143H increased the migration of the cancer cells. Interleukin (IL)-6 is one of the major downstream molecules that mediated this process because IL-6 expression and migration are suppressed by HO-1 and increased when HO-1 is knocked down by shRNA. In addition, we demonstrated carbon monoxide (CO) and p38MAPK are the cofactors in this signal pathway. In vivo animal model demonstrated HO-1 inhibited the tumor growth. In conclusion, in vitro and in vivo data show HO-1 inhibits the human HCC cells migration and tumor growth by suppressing the expression of IL-6. The heme degradation product CO is a cofactor in this process and inhibits p38MAPK phosphorylation.     

人端粒酶逆转录酶(hTERT)特异性siRNA对乳腺癌细胞hTERT水平及细胞生长影响的研究

背景与目的:在肿瘤细胞中端粒酶高水平的表达是肿瘤细胞永生化的重要因素。本研究利用人端粒酶逆转录酶(hTERT)的小干扰RNA(siRNA)特异性地抑制乳腺癌细胞的hTERT,通过研究该效应对细胞生长、凋亡和永生化相关基因的影响,来进一步阐述端粒酶在肿瘤细胞永生化可能的作用。方法:通过实时定量RT-PCR(Real-TimeRT-PCR)测定各乳腺癌细胞系中内源性hTERT的表达水平及测定RNA干扰对与细胞永生化相关基因的调节;通过脂质体转染法将hTERTsiRNA导入MCF7细胞;通过细胞生长曲线和流式细胞仪(FACS)评价该特异性的siRNA所诱导的hTERT水平下调对细胞生长和凋亡的影响。结果:所检测的乳腺癌细胞系中,hTERT均相对高表达。hTERTsiRNA可抑制MCF7中hTERT的水平,并在抑制后的第4天开始表现出显著的细胞生长抑制,并出现凋亡,以及多个细胞永生化相关的基因,如RAC1、PCYT2、FDFT1和ATP5G2,表达水平均下调50%以上。结论:hTERTsiRNA可特异性地抑制hTERTmRNA水平,从而抑制细胞生长,导致细胞凋亡,并下调多个细胞永生化基因。     

microRNA-29 can regulate expression of the long non-coding RNA gene MEG3 in hepatocellular cancer

The human genome is replete with long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA), many of which are transcribed and likely to have a functional role. Microarray analysis of >23,000 lncRNAs revealed downregulation of 712 (~3%) lncRNA in malignant hepatocytes, among which maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) was downregulated by 210-fold relative to expression in non-malignant hepatocytes. MEG3 expression was markedly reduced in four human hepatocellular cancer (HCC) cell lines compared with normal hepatocytes by real-time PCR. RNA in situ hybridization showed intense cytoplasmic expression of MEG3 in non-neoplastic liver with absent or very weak expression in HCC tissues. Enforced expression of MEG3 in HCC cells significantly decreased both anchorage-dependent and -independent cell growth, and induced apoptosis. MEG3 promoter hypermethylation was identified by methylation-specific PCR and MEG3 expression was increased with inhibition of methylation with either 5-Aza-2-Deoxycytidine, or siRNA to DNA Methyltransferase (DNMT) 1 and 3b in HCC cells. MiRNA-dependent regulation of MEG3 expression was studied by evaluating the involvement of miR-29, which can modulate DNMT 1 and 3. Overexpression of mir-29a increased expression of MEG3. GTL2, the murine homolog of MEG3, was reduced in liver tissues from hepatocyte-specific miR-29a/b1 knock-out mice compared with wild-type controls. These data show that methylation-dependent tissue-specific regulation of the lncRNA MEG3 by miR-29a may contribute to HCC growth and highlight the inter-relationship between two classes of non-coding RNA, miRNAs and lncRNAs, and epigenetic regulation of gene expression.